Living the majority of my life in the state of Wisconsin, I've long understood the seasonality of food and the rhythms of nature. Spring is muddy with ever-increasing light that energizes. It's asparagus, peas and rhubarb. Summer is bright and overambitious. It's tomatoes, sweet corn and watermelon. Fall is changing leaves with shortening days that soothe. It's Brussels sprouts, apples and pumpkins. Winter is slow and restorative, dark and a bit lonely. It's potatoes, onions and anything that stores well in the root cellar. Each part of the year is distinctly different. The variation becomes routine.

In this fourth year as a vegetable farmer, I'm beginning to recognize a different type of shift in the seasons. Not just the food, the daylight or the workload. For me, each season of the year comes with its own distinct emotions. At times, it's hard to admit that I am not, in fact, in control of my own temperament, that I am entirely predictable, that the farming season, the rising and falling temperatures, the signs of growth, life and vitality, predict my moods. It's also humbling. As a person who spends at least 40 hours outdoors each week, I too am a product of the natural rhythms of my environment.

Spring for me is a time of ideas, dreams and inspiration. We're busy getting our farm ready for the new year, but the work is manageable. I'm energized by the creation of something new. I don't yet know what the season ahead will look like and my anticipation is laced with optimism. In spring I am hyper, hopeful and enthusiastic.

Summer is busy, a time of non-stop movement and unyielding to-do lists. There are things to seed, things to weed, things to harvest. It's a time of excitement, each week yielding new crops, but also utterly draining. In summer I am frenzied, jubilant and exhausted.

Winter is a time of rest. With empty fields and nothing to harvest, we spend these long, cold months deep in thought about future plans. We examine notes on the past season and make arrangements for the upcoming one. In winter I am introspective, deliberate and, at times, a bit restless.

But something lies between the intensity of summer and the quiet of winter. It is not an immediate transition. Before our land lies fallow in winter and beyond that time in summer when the fields are too full to see anything with any degree of clarity, there is fall. Unhurried, calm, patient, thoughtful fall. When October arrives, there is a sudden rush of relief and zen that pours over me. The fullness of late spring and early summer has given way to well-harvested crops that are no longer producing and well-mowed fields awaiting their cover crop slumber. When we look out at the field, it doesn't feel stressful or chaotic. There is still plenty of harvesting to be done and fall clean-up to be taken care of, but it is no longer such a race. The pace has slowed. The to-do lists are manageable. And suddenly I begin to take notice. The fields are beautiful. Our season was a success. I exhale. Then the gratitude comes pouring in.

I'm grateful for the soil and the sun for giving us such healthy, beautiful crops. I'm grateful for the bees who danced around our fields all summer, buzzing from flower to flower and pollinating the thousands of tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers everyone loves so dearly. I'm grateful for the weather for being kind and gentle with our plants. I'm grateful for our dogs for leaving their scent all over our field and keeping the raccoons away.

I'm grateful for my husband for not getting bogged down by the details, for somehow never getting tired, for not getting too beaten down amid a very hard, very exhausting, totally draining fourth season, and for not resenting me when we were buried deep and I hated the farm.

I'm grateful for my parents for too many things to list: for land access that came so easily, for land down the road that we may be able to buy one day, for letting us take over their basement each season before we are able to finance a packing facility, for letting us pump water during the spring drought from their home well, and for doing major field work every fall so we can wait to invest in a tractor.

I'm grateful for our members for not only investing in us each season but for offering such kind words and support, for wanting to be on an advisory panel that meets quarterly to make our farm better, for always being such beacons of happiness and for believing in us when we forget to believe in ourselves.

As beginning farmers, we have much to be grateful for. Without the tribe of people who support us, we couldn't have made the transition from recent college graduates playing in the dirt because we didn't know what else to do with our lives to real, professional, intentional farmers. It is in fall that I take the time to recognize that no matter how hard we worked over the past six months, it's not really about us. It's about the earth that supports us and the family that believes in us, the CSA members who decide to give us their money each spring with the knowledge that we'll pay them back for five months with the best produce we can provide, and the chefs who work tirelessly to develop real relationships with farmers.

In fall, I remember that this CSA farm of ours is about something so much bigger than us. In fall, I am happy, I am unburdened and I am grateful.

I awoke early as usual because, well, that’s what farmers are supposed to do, right? On this particular morning, though, I was anxious to see the first frost. I love how the first couple frosts sparkle in the morning sun and how it clings to the shadow while rapidly changing from ice to steam as the day moves forward.

I grab my coffee and hastily dress. I want to feel that crisp air on my cheeks. I want to stand in the sun, the front of my body facing the glow, sucking up those warm rays. As I look down the valley I can see the frost deepen. Overnight the cold air seeped downhill, filling in those lower elevations, settling in around the trees, clinging to the half dead grass and brush.

After taking a minute to enjoy the warmth of the sun, I decide to get a closer look and so I extend my stroll down into the valley. Now the sun has crested our far eastern hillside and has begun to shine in the valley I walk through. For the brief moment before ice turns back into water, the ground sparkles like a million diamonds. The view is breathtaking, a momentary reminder if the staggering beauty of this earth.

In the silence of the morning one can hear the world thawing. It starts with the sound a footfall makes on the grass below one’s feet. The crunch of a frosty step turns into a less audible swish of boots moving through a thick dew. If you pause for a moment you can hear the water freshly released from its frozen prison dripping down to soak the ground.

My walk takes me to the edge of the forest, where now the frost that once covered all the ground has been reduced to the shadows of a cluster of white pine. It forms a perfect frosty outline of the forest profile, constantly shrinking, relinquishing its icy grasp to this day.

This is Wisconsin and our transition to winter has begun. We live in a land of seasons, and these changes are what has drawn me here. I live a life intimately tied to our yearly cycle, and to me it is all worth celebrating. Soon enough I will hibernate and dream of the year to come.

Sometimes the best adventures and treasures are in your own backyard. This summer, we’re setting off to discover local producers, food business and fun things to do in our foodshed that stretches from Madison to the Mississippi River. Today we’re spending an afternoon in the Sun Prairie Area, one of the many smaller communities that compose and support the dynamic local food movement here in Southern Wisconsin.

Located just 15 minutes from the heart of Madison, Sun Prairie is a mid-sized community of 30,000 residents with a historic downtown area that is surrounded by farmland and natural areas. While currently best known as the birthplace of painter Georgia O’Keefe, Sun Prairie is poised to recognized as a hub for local food. With its proximity and connection to Wisconsin farms and the culinary scene in Madison, Sun Prairie is definitely a welcoming home to growers and business that value creating quality, locally-made products.

Sassy Cow Creamery

Before heading into downtown Sun Prairie, we took a well-worth-it detour seven miles north to the Sassy Cow Creamery. This charming farmstead houses Sassy Cow’s milk bottling and ice cream production, which visitors can watch through windows in their retail shop. Sassy Cow offers both traditional and organic products, and all their cows are free from bovine growth hormone (rBGH). The full line of Sassy Cow products is available in the creamery’s retail shop that also offers a variety of other Wisconsin foodstuffs including cheese and sweets. Since every food adventure should start off with something sweet, we ordered scoops of Sassy Cow’s Blueberry Pie and Sweet n’ Salty ice cream to enjoy outside in their picnic area while their barnyard animals looked on with pride.

Patrick Marsh

Heading south into Sun Prairie, we stopped to stretch our legs for a quick 20-minute walk at the Patrick Marsh. The 145-acre conservancy is owned and managed by the Wisconsin DNR, Dane County, and Natural Heritage Land Trust and has a walking trail and observation platforms along the marsh.

Beans ‘N Cream

Needing an afternoon pick-me-up, we stopped at Beans ‘N Cream Coffeehouse for a little caffeine. In addition to a large drink menu, this welcoming café offers breakfast and lunch featuring locally sourced milk, ice cream, produce, meats and cheeses. We visited on a weekday, but I’m told Beans ‘N Cream’s crepes are the talk of the Saturday Sun Prairie Farmers Market.

We sipped our drinks while strolling over to the Sun Prairie Historical Museum and Library to take a peek at the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit. The museum is free but has limited hours and is closed in winter, so be sure to investigate before you go.

Salvatore’s Tomato Pies

Feeling hungry again, we headed over to Salvatore’s Tomato Pies for dinner. Don’t be fooled by the unassuming exterior. Once inside, Sal’s feels like a cooler, modern version of the pizza joint you went to for slices in college—and the flavor and quality of ingredients are definitely an upgrade too. With a commitment to fresh, local ingredients, Salvatore’s proudly displays a list of their purveyors on the pizzeria wall. In addition to their tomato pies (their name for pizza) made with fermented and handcrafted dough, Sal’s has a great choice of appetizers and tacos. They also offer a lunch special if you stop by earlier in the day—pick two of their slices of the day and a drink for $6.

Market Street Diner

Needing something sweet after dinner, we stopped by the Market Street Diner for a slice of their famous pie. We selected strawberry rhubarb a la mode, which we enjoyed while sitting at the counter on this 1940s-esque joint. In addition to their desserts, Market Street Diner offers a full menu of modern takes on diner classics and breakfast all day. Market Street is also a member of the Food Fight Restaurant Group, an organization that prides itself on giving back to the Madison-area community.

Karben4 Brewery

Heading west on 151 back to Madison, we made one last stop at the Karben4 Brewery. While technically located within the Madison City limits, Karben4 proved to be a great addition to our day’s exploration. We tried a flight of beers: Fantasy Factory, Tokyo Sauna, Dragon Flute and Idiot Farm. All were outstanding, but Idiot Farm, a seasonal offering, was our favorite. The brewery’s taproom is a cool space in it’s own right, adorned by vivid paintings done by local artist, Tom Kowalke, that represent each of their brews. Karben4 also offers a great looking menu of bar snacks to mains to brunch, something to remember for next time, as we were way too full from our day in Sun Prairie to take another bite.

Do you remember a time when you had a sudden realization that completely changed the way you look at something?

I had this experience with food preserving a few years ago. I usually stop by the local farmers market once a week to supplement what’s coming out of my own garden and buy some of the things I don’t have room to grow. One morning as I was walking around during the height of the harvest season, I started to notice all of the great bulk deals at the stands. A big bucket of pickling cucumbers for $10. Tomatoes for $1/lb. “Look at all of these great prices!” I thought to myself.

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. “I don’t have to grow everything I preserve.” Whoa!

It sounds obvious, but up until then, I had focused my food preserving only on what was coming out of my own garden. I had never thought about buying in bulk from those same farmers I patronized each week for extra dinner veggies.

So, that year I gave some thought to what I wasn’t getting enough of from my own garden for food preserving and started to buy in bulk when I saw good deals. I started with high value items like strawberries and eventually moved on to things like broccoli and winter squash.

Over the years I’ve completely changed the way I think about food preserving! The name of my game has always been super easy food preserving (I don’t do anything that takes too much time and work, i.e. canning), but I started to think about the process of acquiring the vegetables for preserving as well.

My belief is that whatever is the quickest and easiest way to get things into the pantry is the best way. And sometimes that means simply purchasing vegetables you want to put away instead of growing them yourself.

The next few months in most areas is the height of the season for many fruits and vegetables. When you buy at the peak you get great prices and delicious produce with the added bonus of not having to tend to the plants yourself. It's time to think about what you can buy in bulk for easy preserving.

You can source things from the local farmers market, u-pick farms and your CSA. If you have the time, produce is often less expensive if you go and pick it yourself. (You can look for local u-pick farms here, and Wisconsin’s many Farm Fresh Atlases are an excellent resource.)

And if you want to learn more about how to make the harvest last longer by quickly and easily preserving vegetables, fruits and herbs, check out my book, Super Easy Food Preserving. Let the food preserving season begin!

]]>2016-09-23T14:45:00+00:00Outstanding in the Bleu Mont Fieldhttp://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/outstanding-in-the-bleu-mont-field
http://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/outstanding-in-the-bleu-mont-field#1876Outstanding in the Bleu Mont Field

By Erica Krug

When Jim Denevan, founder of Outstanding in the Field, first started doing farm-to-table dinners in farm fields in 1999, he invited his friends and family to be his "fake" customers to provide legitimacy for his new business. "I needed people for photo shoots to get it off the ground," Denevan said. Now his events sell out across the country with people stampeding to get a spot at the stunning long table covered in white cloths set against pastoral landscapes. To date, Outstanding in the Field has planned over 800 events and served over 80,000 guests.

By now most people are familiar with the "farm-to-table" movement, but in the late 1990s when Denevan, a California native whose older brother is an organic farmer, decided that he wanted to connect people to where their food was coming from, this was still a fairly new concept. Now in its twelfth year doing events across the country, Outstanding in the Field is the gold standard for farm-to-table dinners; if you're lucky enough to place a plate at the table, then you are in for a magical evening. On this August night in southern Wisconsin, my sister and I felt charmed to find ourselves in the field.

Denevan, who bought a 1953 bus in 2004 for $9,000 in order to take his dinners on the road, has landed on a fool-proof formula: find a picturesque farm for the meal and locate a reputable chef and restaurant to cook it. This year's Madison-area event took place on August 6 at Bleu Mont Dairy in Blue Mounds, with Chef Dan Fox, a 2016 James Beard nominee for Best Chef: Midwest, at the helm, planning and preparing the meal for 180-some guests. In addition to running the popular Heritage Tavern in Madison, Fox raises meat for Heritage Fox Farms.

This was the second time Outstanding in the Field took place at Bleu Mont Dairy. Cheesemaker and Bleu Mont owner, Willi Lehner, said he was honored to have the event back again. Lehner, a second generation cheesemaker whose parents came to the United States from Switzerland in the early 1950s, said he grew up alongside his dad making cheese. When Lehner bought his current property 27 years ago, he said he started making a connection between what cows eat and how cheese tastes. For this reason, he only makes cheese when cows can be in pasture during warmer months and uses winter for another one of his passions: "Winter is for skiing," Lehner said with a smile.

Dedicated to his craft, Lehner also built a cheese cave at Bleu Mont in 2005 in order to age the cheese. "While touring seventeen farmstead cheese makers in Scotland and Ireland, I asked them where they liked to age their cheese and everyone said they would age cheese underground," Lehner said during a tour of his cave. Lehner said the average temperature of the cave is 55 degrees and the point is to control the humidity because too much humidity wrecks the surface of cheese and causes it to crack. Known for artisan cheeses like his Bandaged Cheddar, Lehner makes and sells ten varieties of cheese at the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison. By the end of the Outstanding dinner on this evening, Lehner rolled wheels of cheddar out to the field in the dark to sell to adoring fans. Denevan, who said he loves working with cheesemakers, is familiar with this kind of frenzy for cheese and the people who make it. "Cheesemakers are elevated to Saint status in Europe," Denevan said. "They transform milk into cheese."

On this idyllic late summer afternoon and early evening, Chef Dan Fox and his crew are busy churning out dishes with Bleu Mont's cheese and other locally-sourced ingredients. Upon arrival, appetizers, including tempura bacon-wrapped Bleu Mont Dairy cheese curds and smoked whitefish, pickled beet and fresh dill, are available for mingling dinner guests. At a side table, Heritage Mixologist Clint Sterwald served drinks that were a gorgeous shade of red. Calling it "The Renegade," the drink contains local favorite Wollersheim Garden Gate Gin with vermouth, Door County cherries, Rishi Black Tea, basil, lemon and fermented honey. While pouring a drink, Sterwald said the cocktail was purposefully bitter so that you crave food. "You'll be hungry by the time you get to the dinner table," Sterwald said.

Dinner was served family style, making it easy to make new friends. By the time dessert arrived, my sister and I found ourselves posing for photos with dinner companions and sharing contact information. Dessert, a beautiful silver platter of Door County cherry clafoutis with currants and a pistachio-candied ginger crumble, was served alongside Ruby Coffee Roasters iced coffee.

As dinner came to an end, Fox and his crew made their way to the field with lanterns to address dinner guests. Fox described how incredible it was to work with Lehner, sharing how he created the menu and talking about how dedicated Lehner is to his craft of his cheesemaking; it's clear that this was a collaborative effort on the part of all parties involved.

As people started to head for home, we lingered because we weren't ready to leave. We finally made our way to the luminary-lit gravel road back to the highway. The crickets were loud and a sliver of a crescent moon lit out way. As we approached the highway, we heard music coming from somewhere. It turned out a group of people had missed their ride back to Madison and were waiting for another one, but no one seemed to care. We all would have stayed all night, if we could.

]]>2016-09-05T13:46:00+00:00How I Became a Soil Sisterhttp://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/how-i-became-a-soil-sister
http://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/how-i-became-a-soil-sister#1875How I Became a Soil Sister

By Lauren Rudersdorf

It all began in early March. An e-mail from Soil Sister and event organizer Lisa Kivirist popped into my inbox. "Soil Sisters Weekend 2016: Call for workshop facilitators," it said. I opened the e-mail without trepidation. "Topics [may] fall under 'on-farm skills & interests' and [should be] general intro sessions with a fun focus," it read. I closed the e-mail. Was I interested? Absolutely. Was I skilled enough to lead a workshop on my farm for a group of strangers? No way, I convinced myself. There the e-mail sat, undeleted from my inbox and undeleted from my mind for the next several weeks.

I was familiar with Soil Sisters of course. The three-day celebration of rural Wisconsin and lady farmers was held just down the road. Monroe, Blanchardville, New Glarus and Brodhead women farmers were neighbors, mentors and friends. Soil Sisters in an indirect way had shaped much of my experience as a woman in agriculture. I appreciated, respected and looked up to the "Soil Sisters" women. I did not consider myself one. Woman farmer, sure, but Soil Sister, no way. I didn't have the experience, the expertise, or the wisdom to be given that title.

A few weeks after reading Lisa's e-mail, with workshops still on my mind, we ran into each other at the FairShare CSA Coalition Open House. She cornered me, wondering if I had read her e-mail and considered doing a workshop. It's like she could read my mind. I stammered and stuttered and tried coming up with a few lame excuses. She ignored these completely, sharing that "my new, young energy" was just exactly what the weekend needed. She suggested I do a workshop connected to my blog if I didn't feel like enough of a farm expert. "Food photography and food styling could be really interesting," she said. And just like that, through the power of persuasion and my inability to say no, I became a Soil Sister.

The preliminary planning meeting for Soil Sisters 2016 was held at the Monroe Chamber of Commerce a few short days later. With lots of coffee and freshly baked aronia berry and chocolate chip muffins, 13 women sat around a table to solidify event plans and logistics. I felt myself swell with pride. Only four years into running a vegetable farm with my husband, our business was not only thriving, it was becoming a destination. A place to visit where strangers could learn and roam, ask questions and experience.

On that late March day, I volunteered our farm (and subsequently my parents' farm and home since our farm resides on their homestead land) for essentially every part of the Soil Sisters weekend I could. The workshop that had felt so intimidating suddenly felt like no big deal. I guess you could attribute my sudden confidence to the power of female friendship. With a supportive group of women by my side, I felt like I could take on the world. I signed our farm up to be a part of the Tour of Farms event on Sunday and offered to throw a food stand fundraiser for the future funding of Soil Sisters.

It all came to fruition the first weekend of August. After 24 hours of mowing and weeding, stacking and washing, sweeping and cleaning, the farm was ready for its close-up. Soil Sisters 2016 was held on August 6th and 7th. And every part of the whirlwind weekend exceeded my wildest dreams.

On Saturday, six guests came out to the farm to bake tomato pie, toss together a tomato, cucumber and avocado salad, prepare eggplant toasts and snap photos all along the way. I shared pictures that inspire my blog along with all of my favorite tricks of the trade. I discussed why I wholeheartedly believe food styling and food blogs are important for the future of food, getting more people interested in cooking and inspired in the kitchen. Together, we diced and we chopped. We laughed and we ate. We shared more than just the basics of food styling, we shared stories and dreams.

The next day was the Tour of Farms, which brought visitors to our farm from as close as Edgerton and as far as California. The frantic energy of the moments before a big event filled my parents' home as we raced to get things ready that morning. My mom sprinted around the house, preparing for our food stand fundraiser. I sprinted in the other direction, setting up a pop-up tent produce stand that resembled our farmers market stand from years past. Kyle harvested things from the field for the produce stand. My little brother ran to the local grocery for bags upon bags of ice and then returned to the farm to lift and move and haul everything that anyone needed lifted or moved or hauled somewhere. My dad moved farm equipment to ensure enough space for parking. My aunt helped my mom make sandwiches. I instructed her on how to run the produce stand so I could be free to give tours all day. Tables topped with floral tablecloths were filled with wooden crates and baskets of heaping piles of eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and onions.

Two by two, couples began to arrive at the farm we share with my parents, following the plentiful barn wood signs that indicated a small parking lot outside our greenhouse. They grabbed a cheeseburger or a pork gyro from my mom's food stand. They bagged up produce to take home with them. And then Kyle or I took couples and families on a tour of our operation.

Hour after hour, the day sped by just like this, each tour bringing a different conversation. Organic certification, the challenges and the merits. What transitioning the family farm really looks like. My writing. Our business model. The Chicago foodshed and questions of how far out it reaches. Land acquisition. Cover crops. Long-term plans. This year's struggles with disease. What it's like farming three acres with a walk-behind rototiller. Love, family, partnership, growth. It felt like we touched on every aspect of our farming life in a mere seven hours.

Throughout this busy, absolutely joy-filled weekend, these tours where we got to connect deeply with people about farming were the absolute highlight. Spending a Sunday walking our fields over and over again with group after group, sharing the story of our farm and our vision for our future gave me great perspective on this life we're leading. In the midst of a difficult season where we feel like we just keep stumbling and losing our way, each field walk brought me greater strength and confidence in our journey.

Through conversations with strangers, the reality of my world became crystal clear: I'm building a farm, a business and a life with the man of my dreams on a corner of the land I grew up on. My husband, my parents and my brother didn't get the honor of wearing a green Soil Sisters t-shirt, but they were instrumental to the success of the weekend, just as they are to all of my dreams. The support that I have and the support we give to each other isn't any different from the support I feel wrapped up in the beautiful confines of the Soil Sisters' community. Where there is community, there is strength. Where there is love, there is joy. And where there is support, there is endless possibility.

Sometimes the best adventures and treasures are in your own backyard. This summer, we’re setting off to discover local producers, food business and fun things to do in our foodshed that stretches from Madison to the Mississippi River. Today we’re spending an afternoon in Stoughton, one of the many smaller communities that compose and support the dynamic local food movement here in Southern Wisconsin.

The city of Stoughton is located 20 miles southeast of Madison and straddles the Yarhara River. Originally settled by Norwegian immigrants, the town’s Nordic heritage is definitely felt in the architecture and charm of its downtown.

Each May, Stoughton hosts an annual, city-wide Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May) Festival celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day, but today we we’re in search of everyday, local businesses and happenings in the community.

Koffee Kup

Our first stop was at the Koffee Kup, a café whose Nordic charm oozed from inside and out. We were in search of a cool drink but were excited to see all the homemade soups and pies also featured on the menu, including slices of seasonal strawberry rhubarb and peach pies.

Fosdal’s Home Bakery

Our next stop on Main Street was Fosdal’s Home Bakery. Famous for their doughnuts and authentic Norwegian baked goods, we were greeted by a sweet yeasty-aroma as well as their friendly staff.

After perusing their sweet rolls, breads and cookies, we decided we were in the mood for doughnuts and ordered our own flight based on the staff’s recommendations. We settled on their best-selling chocolate Bismarck, a blueberry cake doughnut and a classic, glazed cinnamon twist. We’d intended to sample each and bring the leftovers home, but that plan was abandoned halfway through the first doughnut.

Yarhara River Grocery Co-op

One of my favorite things to do while travelling is to explore local grocery stores, so I was excited to discover that Stoughton had its own food cooperative! Located conveniently next door to Fosdal’s, the Yarhara River Grocery has chalkboards on display in their front window listing all the local products they source and sell inside.

Historical Self-Guided Walking Tours

The Stoughton Landmark Commission details several walking tours on their website. With homes dating back to the mid-1800s, we enjoyed viewing the many Queen Anne-style houses on the Northwest Side tour, which, as a bonus, made room for more eats.

Back to the Bean

Needing a coffee, we went in search of a cup on Main Street and almost walked right by Back to the Bean. We would have never guessed such a historic, open space was located behind the inconspicuous storefront. With so much more than coffee, the café offers homemade ice cream cake slices and frozen treats like mango black pepper sorbet and chai custard. The mango black pepper sorbet had perfectly balanced of flavors and was a great way cool off after the walking tour.

Wendigo

Be sure to save room for dinner at Wendigo. This restaurant located on Main Street makes it a point to source produce and other products locally and has a diverse menu of sharable snacks, gourmet sandwiches and refined main dishes.

In addition to the great food, the space itself is beautiful with Cream City brick, local art, a carved-wood bar and a small stage at the back of the dining room. Wendigo is open for dinner and Sunday brunch. We’ll definitely be back to try their morning offerings.

Stoughton Opera House

Towering over the two-story storefronts on Main Street, the Stoughton Opera House is a grand sight as you enter Stoughton’s historic downtown. Opened in 1901, the theater hosts a wide variety of musical and theatrical performances throughout the season including rock, folk, classical, and comedy shows.

While the opera house is not open for tours during the day, we suggest picking a show on their 2016-2017 schedule and making an evening in Stoughton.

Viking County Park

Before heading home, we went for a short evening hike along the Yahara River in Viking County Park. There are many other trails and natural areas in Stoughton to explore by bike or foot as a nice compliment to exploring the historic downtown.

]]>2016-07-14T13:51:00+00:00“Hyper-Local” at the Wickman Househttp://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/hyper-local-at-the-wickman-house
http://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/hyper-local-at-the-wickman-house#1867“Hyper-Local” at the Wickman House

By Erica Krug

Door County, the peninsula of Wisconsin that juts out into Lake Michigan, is known for beautiful beaches, cherry orchards, packed campgrounds and a restaurant with goats on the roof. But despite being an agricultural area, it's not an easy place to grow food. With a short growing season and rocky, sandy soil, it takes a lot of moxie to have a garden here, let alone try to grow all of the food for a restaurant menu. But that is exactly what the people at Wickman House want to do.

In its fifth season, Wickman House, a gorgeous three-story structure located on four and a half acres in the unincorporated town of Ellison Bay (pop. 165), is open from April until January or February. It is a farm-to-table spot with a seasonal menu that puts its money where your mouth is; when owner Mike Holmes first opened in 2012 he immediately turned his attention to the land with the goal of being a "hyper-local" restaurant.

"My dream is to source at least 50 percent of every plate from right here," Holmes says.

Like many of us who grew up in Wisconsin, Holmes spent lots of time visiting Door County as a child. While in college in 1999, he decided to head to the peninsula for a summer job and ended up at restaurant T.Ashwell's, which is now the site of Wickman House. He worked there for three summers before moving to New York City to run a non-profit and work as a bartender.

About ten years later, when Holmes heard that T.Ashwell's was for sale, he and then-partner Joe Fahrenkrug created a business plan to buy the restaurant. On April 1, 2012, Holmes and his girlfriend (now wife), Sarah, headed for Ellison Bay to meet up with Fahrenkrug and his wife, Katie. On May 25, 2012, Wickman House—named for Andrew Wickman, the first owner of the property who came to America from Sweden in 1872—opened to the public.

You can't have a farm-to-table restaurant without a farm, so Holmes and the chefs got started on a place to grow food. They first cleared out all of the sumac that filled the field. Next they scraped the sod to create a garden space and turned their attention to the soil, which was barren and didn't retain water. Holmes brought in horse manure to start building up the soil; more organic matter means better soil structure and water holding capacity. To help counter the short growing season and unpredictable weather, in 2015 they built a greenhouse and this spring they added a water source for the garden.

It was snowing on the day I visited Wickman House in mid-May, but it was toasty warm inside the greenhouse, where tomato and pepper plants, already several inches tall, waited for warmer weather to get transplanted outside. During peak season, Holmes says that all of the kale, collard greens and tomatoes are grown on the Wickman House grounds, and all of the produce during this time comes from a local farm or garden.

Executive chef Matt Chambas also enjoys foraging for food for the Wickman House menu. In the spring this means ramps, morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns—a delicious combination when sautéed in butter. And many things on the menu, like the fermented ketchup, are made from scratch.

In addition to a seasonal menu with specials that change nightly, Wickman House has an innovative, rotating cocktail list. On the night I ate there in May, I sipped on the El Tigre—rye whiskey, elderflower, lime, cherry liqueur, hot sauce, cilantro and soda. It was one of the most delicious concoctions I have had. For dinner I had the grain bowl, a combination of toasted farro, wild rice, bok choy, marinated kale, ramp kimchee, peanuts, shiitake mushrooms and lemon miso vinaigrette (fear not carnivores, you can add soy-braised Waseda Farms pork shoulder to this dish.)

Trellises for vegetables pop up on each return trip, and the attention and care being given to the garden is obvious. It's easy for restaurants these days to claim to be a "farm-to-table" establishment, but theWickman House staff is dedicated to sourcing as locally as possible. Usually just out the back door from the kitchen.

Wickman House is open for dinner Wednesday through Mondays (closed Tuesdays) from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

We want to recognize photographer Jim Klousia for all his wonderful contributions to Edible Madison magazine over the past six years!

Here's what one of the judges had to say:

"This is a gorgeous image -- rich, dramatic, referencing the old masters. Dark on dark, not easy to do. We can almost taste the full-flavor of the dark brew in the glass and feel the tingle of the bubbles in the foam that tops it. This image and the design creates the perfect cover; you just must pick up the magazine to see what else it has to offer."

Thanks again to Edible Communities for the recognition. And a huge thank you to YOU - our readers - and our advertisers for supporting Edible Madison through the years and allowing us to tell the beautiful stories of our southern Wisconsin area.

]]>2016-06-17T20:44:00+00:00What’s in Season: Junehttp://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/whats-in-season-june
http://ediblemadison.com/articles/view/whats-in-season-june#1868What’s in Season: June

By Francie Szostak Dekker

From the first salad greens in early spring to frost sweetened root veggies in late fall, the range and diversity of produce available during the year in southern Wisconsin is vast. Each month now through October, we will profile fruits and veggies spotted in peak season at area farmers markets and share ideas on how to enjoy seasonal produce with recipes from Edible Madison’s archives.

Beets

This colorful veggie ranges from golden to deep, blood red. While most people only think of eating the root, beet leaves and stems are edible too and can be used as you would spinach. This Grilled Beet & Carrot Salad with Avocado & Pumpkin Seeds makes a nice early summer side dish.

Bok Choy

Traditionally an eastern Asian vegetable, bok choy is becoming increasingly popular here in Wisconsin. It is used in kimchi (think Korean sauerkraut) and in stir-fries like this Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy with Pork Belly.

Dill

Fresh Garlic

Fresh garlic is newly harvested garlic that has not been through a curing process to increase shelf life, so use it quickly. Try this Yeast-Raised Rosemary Garlic Breadto showcase the fresh garlic flavor.

Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes are the flower bud that forms on hard neck varieties of garlic and is removed in order to direct energy to the garlic bulb, causing it to thicken up. Don’t add scapes to the compost pile though—these castoffs are a tasty treat! With a slightly milder flavor than fully developed blubs, garlic scapes are great in pesto, sautéed with veggies or grilled whole in this dish of Grilled Garlic Scapes & Trout with Fresh Herbs.

Kale

The star of many trendy, super-food lists, kale’s origins as a hardworking, humble green are typically forgotten. Kale is often found in rustic, comfort food dishes from around the world like this Portuguese Potato Kale Soup called Caldo Verde.

Kohlrabi

A member of the cabbage and broccoli family, crunchy kohlrabi blubs are great chopped into slices for dipping in favorite summertime spreads or enjoyed raw in salads and slaws like this Spicy Kohlrabi Wedges with Lime & Chipotle.

Lettuces

From red to green, lacey leaves to whole heads, there are just as many varieties of lettuce as ways to enjoy it. In addition to your favorite salads, try this Hmong dish of Spiced Meat & Lettuce Roll-ups called Larb.

Mint

New Potatoes

Not a special variety, “new potato” simply refers to small, freshly harvested potatoes, often dug up early in the summer. Enjoy this Green Onion Potato Salad at the first picnics and BBQs of the season.

Peas

From snow to sugar snap, peas are prolific during June in Wisconsin. We suggest this Raw Sugar Snap Pea Saladas a refreshing side dish for those first hot days of summer.

Spinach

Spring Onions

Spring onions are the young version of regular onions, but harvested before the bulb has a chance to swell. Their mild onion flavor pairs well with lemon in this recipe for Salmon with Lemon-Onion Marmalade.

Strawberries

There is no doubt that Strawberries are the showstopper at June farmers markets here in Wisconsin. This Angel Cake with Strawberry Orange Coulis may become your new favorite way to highlight this early summer berry.

Swiss Chard

Chard can have white stems or come in a rainbow of colors. To the disappointment of many youngsters, chard’s rainbow stems don’t come in fruity flavors, but they do taste comparable to beet greens and can be used similarly. Try sautéing the stems and leaves in this dish of Wilted Chard with Dried Currants & Nuts.